Construction World July 2018

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I nspired by the Earth Charter – which comprises four pillars, namely respect and care for community of life, ecological integrity, social and economic justice, as well as democracy, non-violence and peace – the Earthrise Trust was founded as a non-profit social initiative, dedicated to building a new development paradigm that advances the ideals and principles enshrined in the Charter. As part of its founding principles, the Earthrise Trust has since committed to approach to the development of a sustainable community through eco-farming, the Earthrise Trust also acquired a Hydraform blockmaking machine to help the community self-build the much-needed houses. As part of its objective to support the Naledi Village, settled at the Rustlers Valley Farm in Ficksburg, Eastern Free State, in pursuing a holistic HELPING COMMUNITY meet sustainable development goals

rebuilding and guardianship of the historic Rustlers Valley Farm in Ficksburg, Free State. As Gino Govender of the Earthrise Trust explains, the 273-hectare Rustler’s Valley Farm, which has since been purchased by the trust, has a rich social history. Govender says the Earthrise Trust has since undertaken to work with local residents to build a sustainable, rural community at Rus- tlers Valley Farm. Earthrise believes that job creation and increased levels of income are of paramount importance to creating a rural culture of self-worth, independence and pride in this community. As a result, Earthrise has established Rustlers Valley Farm as a sustain- able, cooperative, commercially-viable, precision farming initiative which involves elements of communal and large-scale commercial farming, both at Naledi and Rustlers Valley Farm respectively. While eco-farming was deemed to form the economic base of the community, proper housing was also a necessity to satisfy the basic social/human needs of the community’s population. “We brought the Hydraform team to the farm to demonstrate the capabilities of their blockmaking machines, through some videos. We also had our own team travel to Hydraform’s offices in Boksburg, Gauteng to learn more about the technology and how it could meet our community develop- ment targets,” says Govender. After an extensive consultation process, both Earthrise and the Naledi Village community were not only thrilled by Hydraform’s technology, but most importantly the company’s understanding that the machines were sought for a good cause, which was to set a rural community on a self-reliant sustainable economic and social path. “Hydraform understood that this was not just about Earthrise, but it was more about the Naledi Village, and they therefore went out of their way to negotiate a very good price,” explains Anton Chaka, the Chaka says they eventually chose to purchase the Hydraform M7MI Super blockmaking machine. “We got a very good deal from Hydra- form, especially considering a couple of other things which were thrown into the mix, such as free transport and training,” says Chaka. Initially the machine was used to produce blocks which were used in all the new construction projects such as an ablution facility, the Naledi Arts Centre and toilets for the local primary school. “To date, the team has produced about 30 000 blocks on demand since we started production with our M7MI. Once we get the title deeds to our land from the government, then the next big project of each household is to save money and build permanent homes of their dreams for their children. This is the Naledi of the future,” says Chaka. For Chaka, the beauty of this machine is its mobility, which allows it to be moved from one site to the other. The Hydraform M7MI is a popular choice with most Hydraform clients. The machine includes a compression chamber, diesel engine and a pan mixer, all mounted on a robust trailer for transport. This machine is ideal for remote areas. It can produce 2 200 blocks per eight hour shift, equating to +/- 57 m² of walling/day and 12 x 50 m² houses/month.  Naledi Village Chair. Package deal

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CONSTRUCTION WORLD JULY 2018